THE 5 MOST COMMON SLEEP MYTHS, BUSTED

Posted by Nicola Elliott, Jun 07, 2021

THE 5 MOST COMMON SLEEP MYTHS, BUSTED

New day, new sleep-related myth in the news… There’s so much sleep chatter out there it can be difficult to sift through the rubbish and just cut to the chase. What is REALLY affecting our sleep quality? We asked our NEOM Sleep Expert, Anandi, to crack open some of the most common concerns.

your brain sleeps when you sleep

Myth 1 Your brain sleeps when you sleep

No, your brain is on duty all of the time. It is quietest during deep sleep, but it is still overseeing a while host of activities while you sleep. During REM sleep it is busy processing all the mental impressions coming in from the five senses during the day.

Myth 2 Reading from your iPad helps you sleep

No, any computer or blue light device, including iPads and phones, will stimulate the brain, which is not what you need whilst you’re trying to wind down. Keep those electronics out of sight…

reading from your ipad helps you sleep

Myth 3 Sleep is scientific and complicated

Sleep is not rocket science. If your system is in balance, you will sleep well. If your system is out of balance through stress, poor diet or stimulants, you won't sleep well. It is that simple!

Myth 4 You can get by on 4 hours of sleep

If it’s good enough for Margaret Thatcher, right? Wrong. There is a very small percentage of people in the world that have a particular DNA (3%) that allows them to sleep very little. Most of us need at least 6 hours, optimum 7-8 hours to function fully.

Myth 5 Alcohol helps you go to sleep

Alcohol may make you fall asleep, but you'll wake up in the early morning with your heart racing and if you are lucky enough to go back to sleep, you'll wake up feeling groggy as your body has robbed the water from the brain to manage the alcohol!

Have you got a sleep myth you want busting? Leave a comment below or tweet us using #AskAnandi and we’ll put it to our expert!

Image © iStockphoto.com/RakicN/TonTectonix